The Canton ( formerly Residences at Classen Curve)

[Pete]

Classen Curve apartments moving forward

After years of delay, plans are moving forward for a 5-story apartment complex adjacent to Classen Curve.

Previously, the group that bought Classen Curve, Nichols Hills Plaza and the surrounding land – Washington Prime – had proposed retail and multi-family housing on the site, a move that prompted a lawsuit from a neighboring attorney.

Ultimately, that legal action was dismissed and now the project is once again moving forward, this time without additional commercial space.

The latest plans by Hines Development show a 5-story apartment complex with 326 units and a 6-level parking structure.

Dubbed the Residences at Classen Curve, the new development would be directly west of the proposed Ellison Hotel, north of Whole Foods and West Elm and east of the under-construction Flower Child and Torchy's Tacos structure.

The Ellison is expected to break ground around the first of the year and Flower Child and Torchy's will open in the first quarter of 2020.

To the west, luxury townhomes are proposed at 6100 Grand.

It is unclear if Washington Prime will sell the land to Hines or lease it to them.

The Simplified Planned Unit Development (SPUD) had previously been approved by the City of Oklahoma City.

The apartments along with the Ellison Hotel would nearly complete the development of the property once owned by Chesapeake Energy to the west of their sprawling campus.

[Pete]

These plans from a few years ago show fewer apartments and some retail which now seems to be no longer part of the development plans.

[PhiAlpha]

These plans from a few years ago show fewer apartments and some retail which now seems to be no longer part of the development plans.

These were the initial conceptual plans.

[Colbafone]

Old plans were much much better. They've been laying out the new parking lot for the area, as well as remodeling/building a new NBC Bank right in the corner south west corner of 63rd and Western.

Anyway, outside of the Torchy's, there's nothing but parking that fronts Grand to Western on 63rd. Same thing with Grand. Parking fronts it from 63rd down to Zoe's. Just a tooooon of street level surface parking.

It just looks like it could have been laid out/designed a lot better.

[Pete]

Yes and any hope of connecting all these properties for pedestrians is now out the window.

[CloudDeckMedia]

Yes and any hope of connecting all these properties for pedestrians is now out the window.

That’s a shame. With so much retail & residential in close proximity, it’s natural to have pedestrian, walkable connectivity.

[bucktalk]

Honestly -I worry if the oil and gas industry is stagnant or in decline how projects like this and new projects in downtown can survive. Maybe there is plenty of folks with a lot of money who can occupy these places. Hope so.

[soonerguru]

Honestly -I worry if the oil and gas industry is stagnant or in decline how projects like this and new projects in downtown can survive. Maybe there is plenty of folks with a lot of money who can occupy these places. Hope so.

The O&G industry is definitely in decline, and the days of mass hiring in that industry are over. There are people with money but the economy in OKC is definitely in decline (if not recession).

Let's hope the efforts to continue to diversify our economy bear fruit, but I wouldn't hold your breath if you want to see a change. The ruling party that runs this state stubbornly refuses to invest in education, even when they are told by economic development experts that an educated workforce is the number one priority for employers.

Planes, defense, and oil and gas are the industries that have historically delivered prosperity in OKC, and the city struggles to think beyond these industries. Importantly, those industries dominate our city's economic development focus. It's a vicious cycle because the Chamber and others believe we should sell to our strengths but they fail to create new opportunity. We just keep mining the same ground.

Regarding the development itself, why is there so much visible surface parking, particularly considering that the development includes a garage? This city is so aggravating sometimes.

[jonny d]

The O&G industry is definitely in decline, and the days of mass hiring in that industry are over. There are people with money but the economy in OKC is definitely in decline (if not recession).

Let's hope the efforts to continue to diversify our economy bear fruit, but I wouldn't hold your breath if you want to see a change. The ruling party that runs this state stubbornly refuses to invest in education, even when they are told by economic development experts that an educated workforce is the number one priority for employers.

Planes, defense, and oil and gas are the industries that have historically delivered prosperity in OKC, and the city struggles to think beyond these industries. Importantly, those industries dominate our city's economic development focus. It's a vicious cycle because the Chamber and others believe we should sell to our strengths but they fail to create new opportunity. We just keep mining the same ground.

Regarding the development itself, why is there so much visible surface parking, particularly considering that the development includes a garage? This city is so aggravating sometimes.

This is a private development, not a city one. The city has nothing to do with the number of parking spots...

[Pete]

Apartment occupancy is relatively high, even though we've added thousands of units in just the last few years.

It's a sign that younger people are choosing to stay in OKC and that there are plenty of good jobs.


For this particular project, I expect it to rapidly fill simply because it is a great location, tons of entertainment options nearby and really zero rental units anywhere around here.

[Timtoomany]

Any idea of the architect?

[Pete]

Any idea of the architect?

Dwell Design Studio out of the Atlanta area (where the Hines multi-family development group is located):

https://www.dwelldesignstudio.com/

[Timtoomany]

Thanks Pete. Figured it was an out-of-towner.

[shawnw]

will it require design review?

[Pete]

will it require design review?

No. Outside any design review district.

They already have approval for the rezoning.

[dwellsokc]

Is a Site Plan available?

[Pete]

Is a Site Plan available?

See the first post in this thread.

[aDark]

Pete, do you really think this will full-up quickly? I can't imagine they are cheap apartments. With so many great apartments in downtown and midtown I just don't know how this competes. Surely a young professional moving to OKC would prefer to live within a few blocks of of the active nightlife in midtown/downtown/Bricktown (or Plaza or Paseo) as opposed to by quiet Nichols Hills. I could be totally off-base.

Shopping is good at Classen Curve but it's not exactly a draw for living, right? If Chesapeake was booming I think this is a slam dunk. But...

[Rover]

Pete, do you really think this will full-up quickly? I can't imagine they are cheap apartments. With so many great apartments in downtown and midtown I just don't know how this competes. Surely a young professional moving to OKC would prefer to live within a few blocks of of the active nightlife in midtown/downtown/Bricktown (or Plaza or Paseo) as opposed to by quiet Nichols Hills. I could be totally off-base.

Shopping is good at Classen Curve but it's not exactly a draw for living, right? If Chesapeake was booming I think this is a slam dunk. But...

There many, many and all types of restaurants within walking or biking from this spot...from cheap to expensive. Across the street you have Trader Joes and closer still is Whole Foods. A mile away you have Sprouts. Within a mile you have not only NH Plaza/The Curve, but you have Belle Isle shopping center with WalMart, Ross Dress for Less, Nordstrom Rack, Shoe Carnival, Old Navy, Kirkland's, Five Below REI , Ulta, Avenue, Subway, Supercuts, Mattress Firm, Cell Phone Repair, Earthwise Pet Supply, Grooming, & Self Wash; and an Ameritrade. Still within walking distance is Penn Square Mall. There are neighborhood bars on Western, and upper scale hangouts like Republic and Flips.

From this area you are less than 15 minutes to anything uptown. You are 5 minutes to Lake Hefner. There are lots of walking trails in beautiful parks. Every night I see large groups of runners throughout the neighborhood.

This is a tremendous area of OKC and a mile radius is a hugely divers area.

All in all, it is amazing there hasn't been more multifamily properties built in the area. This is hugely attractive and getting better. It will fill very quickly.

[aDark]

There many, many and all types of restaurants within walking or biking from this spot...from cheap to expensive. Across the street you have Trader Joes and closer still is Whole Foods. A mile away you have Sprouts. Within a mile you have not only NH Plaza/The Curve, but you have Belle Isle shopping center with WalMart, Ross Dress for Less, Nordstrom Rack, Shoe Carnival, Old Navy, Kirkland's, Five Below REI , Ulta, Avenue, Subway, Supercuts, Mattress Firm, Cell Phone Repair, Earthwise Pet Supply, Grooming, & Self Wash; and an Ameritrade. Still within walking distance is Penn Square Mall. There are neighborhood bars on Western, and upper scale hangouts like Republic and Flips.

From this area you are less than 15 minutes to anything uptown. You are 5 minutes to Lake Hefner. There are lots of walking trails in beautiful parks. Every night I see large groups of runners throughout the neighborhood.

This is a tremendous area of OKC and a mile radius is a hugely divers area.

All in all, it is amazing there hasn't been more multifamily properties built in the area. This is hugely attractive and getting better. It will fill very quickly.

I get that. I recognize being close to Trader Joe's, Lake Hefner, and being a 20 minute drive to downtown are all positives. Being close to the trails through NH is also a nice plus. However, beyond that, nothing else in proximity is desirable. Half the cool stuff in Curve is really just a showroom for online purchasing (Bonobos, Warby, Tecovas, etc). Do people need to live next door to it?

Maybe I'm misunderstanding the target audience?? If this development is hoping to attract Boomers or Gen Xers who still shop at malls then yeah, maybe it will fill quickly. I'll be very interested to see if it fills up quickly and will humbly eat crow if it does!

Do people really buy with consideration of being close to retail? 🤣

Sounds like I'm way off base so I'll stop pleading my case.

[Pete]

Do people really buy with consideration of being close to retail? 🤣.

Yes.

Just look at the neighborhood directly south of Classen Curve. Tons of new 2-on-a-lot homes that are going for $700K+.

None of that happened before Classen Curve.


It's wonderfully nice to stroll over to the store every time you need a few small items. Or to walk to Republic to meet friends. Or to take spin classes withing walking distance.

I used to live in Manhattan Beach and while my place was only a block from the beach, more importantly, I could walk to the grocery store, tons of restaurants and bars, a great bagel place, the post office, the library, my bank, my haircutter, my dentist.... On and on. Most nights and weekends I never used my car. It was awesome.

[Rover]

I get that. I recognize being close to Trader Joe's, Lake Hefner, and being a 20 minute drive to downtown are all positives. Being close to the trails through NH is also a nice plus. However, beyond that, nothing else in proximity is desirable. Half the cool stuff in Curve is really just a showroom for online purchasing (Bonobos, Warby, Tecovas, etc). Do people need to live next door to it?

Maybe I'm misunderstanding the target audience?? If this development is hoping to attract Boomers or Gen Xers who still shop at malls then yeah, maybe it will fill quickly. I'll be very interested to see if it fills up quickly and will humbly eat crow if it does!

Do people really buy with consideration of being close to retail? 🤣

Sounds like I'm way off base so I'll stop pleading my case.

The Curve is just a small part of the commercial area in the vicinity. There are lots of affordable places to eat, drink and shop within a relatively compact area. Lots of things that appeal to younger generations. You might want to get out and drive the area and discover all that is there, and all that is close. And, you might be surprised at how many people frequent Penn Square Mall... of many ages. People tend to stereotype this section of the city, but it is way more diverse than given credit for.

[Pete]

Yes, because it's a great area of town with zero apartments.

Everything for sale around there -- not just NH but the neighborhood south of Classen Curve, Glenbrook -- has seen substantial price increases.

[shawnw]

If you could live a short walk from Trader Joe's and Whole Foods, plus all the various shops in that area, wouldn't you want to? It's basically what the living downtown experience _should_ be.

[TheTravellers]

If you could live a short walk from Trader Joe's and Whole Foods, plus all the various shops in that area, wouldn't you want to? It's basically what the living downtown experience _should_ be.

I guess if one can afford an apartment there (don't know the cost, but it's not gonna be cheap), one can afford to buy stuff from all the shops around there. I know that we can't afford lots of stuff from places around there, but we're not exactly their target market so we're not too sad we can't afford the stuff we don't want.